Castain grew up in the gang infested area of Pomona called “The Islands” where his family barely made ends meet even with government assistance and food stamps.

He was kicked out of several area high schools including Pomona, Chaffey and Rancho Cucamonga.

Gang life was the only life he knew and Castain’s likely future.

“College?” said Castain, who is working on his Ph.D. at Georgetown University. “I thought college was for rich kids. I never thought I would be going to college.”

Castain would not only go, he would excel and become a successful entrepreneur who has started his own marketing company and the David Castain Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps at-risk youths out of poverty and into college.

His goal is to grow his Washington D.C.-based foundation, nationwide with one of his first expansions in Pomona.

“That’s my home,” said Castain, the second of four children “I know that it can be impossible to find positive role models when you’re surrounded by gangs. I want to show children that they have choices.”

Castain started his gang involvement in eighth grade.

“If you’re in that kind of neighborhood and grow up around it — you’re part of that life,” he said. “You join a gang for protection, if not, people rob you, take things from you, mess you up — it’s crazy. And there was a lot of racial issues. Well, there was then, I don’t know about now.”

Castain’s mother couldn’t afford to leave the neighborhood, but insisted her children go to school.

“My mom always tried to push education, but I didn’t think much about it, just that if I wanted to keep a roof over my head I had to go,” he said. “At the time I didn’t realize how lucky I was; I was ahead of the game because I was in school.”

However, that couldn’t override Castain’s daily exposure to pimps, drug dealers and other thugs.

“It’s hard for people who haven’t lived it to understand,” he said. “There were no positive role models. I was involved with people who had no goals. I didn’t even know how to have a goal. You just did whatever you had to do to survive.”

Castain’s lowest point came in 2006 when he was charged with armed robbery and faced a possible 15-year prison term.

“It was a stupid thing to do,” he said. “I didn’t even go there with the intension of robbing the place. I was in there and just got mad.”

A good lawyer convinced a judge to give Castain a break with minimal jail time and eight months house arrest.

“My only time outside was when I went to check the mail,” he said. “I noticed these letters pouring in for my little sister from colleges.”

Castain’s sister was a good student and was getting out. She was going to college. It was Castain’s “a-ha moment.”

He eventually attended San Joaquin Valley College in Ontario, made the grades and was accepted into Howard University.

While at Howard, Castain found his talent for marketing and building websites. He graduated with honors and was accepted into Georgetown where he’s working towards his Ph.D. and founded his nonprofit.

Castain has mentored students in Melissa Bryant’s fourth-grade class, taking them on a tour of the Howard campus and coordinating after school events.

“As a nation we are concerned about our boys of color, they are currently the lowest performing group on standardized tests,” Bryant said. “David’s Foundation is necessary because through mentoring the foundation is helping our boys with self-efficacy, self esteem, grit, and helping them to have a growth mind-set. Essentially, the foundation is teaching our boys some the qualities that you need to be successful in school and in life.”

Bryant and Castain agree, the younger a child is exposed to positive role models the better. Bryant is grateful that Castain has taken in interest in her students and in young people everywhere.

“It’s always amazing to see people living out their dreams and making a difference in their communities,” she said. “It takes a special type of person that is willing to reach back and help the next generation.”